Born and raised in the town of Ipatinga in south-eastern Brazil, Lua developed an interest in capoeira at the age of six and studied for many years in his hometown. In 1994, he moved to Vitoria, Espirito Santo to train and improve his technique and understanding of this unique Afro-Brazilian martial art. Beyond his training duties, he participated in various capoeira rodas and batizados throughout Brazil.
In 1995, he obtained his Professor cord and began teaching. In 1997, he was invited to participate in an international capoeira encounter in Vancouver, B.C. which led to his decision to emigrate to Canada. Over the next few years, in addition to teaching capoeira in Vancouver, he travelled and performed throughout the U.S.A., Canada, Asia and Mexico with several Afro-Brazilian dance companies.
In August of 2000, in honour of his expertise and leadership he was awarded his Contra Mestre’s cord, and a few years later Lua moved from Vancouver to Toronto to continue his work there. In December 2004, Contra Mestre Lua and Mestre Curisco decided to establish their own group – Grupo Capoeira Malês. Today they have students teaching in Brazil, the U.S., Mexico and Canada.